ABSTRACT
Advocacy and active citizenship are essential elements of democracy in the 21 st century. This chapter explores the changing definitions of citizenship in wired and networked "risk society" and how these new definitions affect the perception and practice of contemporary public relations. It explains why activists have ignored the constructive activities of the public relations industry and why the public relations industry has ignored the constructive activities of activists. In particular, it examines Ulrich Beck's theories of risk society and reflexive modernisation-an innovative theoretical perspective on these relationships and activities that provides a lens to view activism and other institutions in society such as public relations. Beck's theories make an important contribution to a redefinition of public relations and its relationship to grassroots activism and changing notions of citizenship in the 21 st century. They forecast the growth of grassroots activists and their capacity to generate change in society, the types of issues they seek to promote, and the reason why they are gaining power in this area. Beck provided a framework to understand how and why new forms and expressions of organizational communication are emerging.
